Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monks are proficient with basic peasant weapons and special weapons whose use is part of monk training. The full list includes club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, shuriken, siangham, and sling.

A monk using a kama, nunchaku, or siangham can strike with his or her unarmed base attack, including her more favorable number of attacks per round (see below). His or her damage, however, is standard for the weapon (1d6, crit X2), not his or her unarmed damage. The weapon must be light, so a Small monk must use Tiny versions of these weapons in order to use the more favorable base attack.

A monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to AC, in addition to her normal Dexterity modifier, and her AC improves as she gains levels. (Only add this extra AC bonus if the total of the monk's Wisdom modifier and the number in the "AC Bonus" column is a positive number.) The Wisdom bonus and the AC bonus represent a preternatural awareness of danger, and a monk does not lose either even in situations when he or she loses her Dexterity modifier due to being unprepared, ambushed, stunned, and so on. (Monks do lose these AC bonuses when immobilized.)

When wearing armor, a monk loses her AC bonus for Wisdom, AC bonus for class and level, favorable multiple unarmed attacks per round, and heightened movement. Furthermore, her special abilities all face the arcane spell failure chance that the armor type normally imposes.

Table:The Monk

Level

Base Attack Bonus

Fort Save

Ref Save

Will Save

Special

1

0

+2

+2

+2

Unarmed Strike, stunning attack, evasion

2

+1

+3

+3

+3

Deflect Arrows feat

3

+2

+3

+3

+3

Still mind

4

+3

+4

+4

+4

Slow fall (20 ft.)

5

+3

+4

+4

+4

Purity of body

6

+4

+5

+5

+5

Slow fall (30 ft.), Improved Trip feat

7

+5

+5

+5

+5

Wholeness of body, Leap of the clouds

8

+6/+1

+6

+6

+6

Slow fall (50 ft.)

9

+6/+1

+6

+6

+6

Improved evasion

10

+7/+2

+7

+7

+7

Ki strike (+1)

11

+8/+3

+7

+7

+7

Diamond body

12

+9/+4

+8

+8

+8

Abundant step

13

+9/+4

+8

+8

+8

Diamond soul, ki strike (+2)

14

+10/+5

+9

+9

+9

15

+11/+6/+1

+9

+9

+9

Quivering palm

16

+12/+7/+2

+10

+10

+10

Ki strike (+3)

17

+12/+7/+2

+10

+10

+10

Timeless body, Tongue of the sun and moon

18

+13/+8/+3

+11

+11

+11

Slow fall (any distance)

19

+14/+9/+4

+11

+11

+11

Empty body

20

+20/+15/+10

+12

+12

+12

Perfect self

Table:More Monk Abilities

Level

Unarmed Attack Bonus

Unarmed Damage*

AC Bonus

Unarmored Speed**

1

+0

1d6

+0

30ft.

2

+1

1d6

+0

30ft.

3

+2

1d6

+0

40ft.

4

+3

1d8

+0

40ft.

5

+3

1d8

+1

40ft.

6

+4/+1

1d8

+1

50ft.

7

+5/+2

1d8

+1

50ft.

8

+6/+3

1d10

+1

50ft.

9

+6/+3

1d10

+1

60ft.

10

+7/+4/+1

1d10

+2

60ft.

11

+8/+5/+2

1d10

+2

60ft.

12

+9/+6/+3

1d12

+2

70ft.

13

+9/+6/+3

1d12

+2

70ft.

14

+10/+7/+4/+1

1d12

+2

70ft.

15

+11/+8/+5/+2

1d12

+3

80ft.

16

+12/+9/+6/+3

1d20

+3

80ft.

17

+12/+9/+6/+3

1d20

+3

80ft.

18

+13/+10/+7/+4/+1

1d20

+3

90ft.

19

+14/+11/+8/+5/+2

1d20

+3

90ft.

20

+15/+12/+9/+6/+3

1d20

+4

90ft.

*Small monks deal less damage.

**Small and dwarven monks are slower.

15 1d10 55 ft.

16-17 2d6 55 ft.

18-20 2d6 60 ft.

Table:Small Monk Unarmed Damage and Small Monk & Dwarf Monk Speed

Level

Damage

Speed

1-2

1d4

20ft.

3

1d4

25ft.

4-5

1d6

25ft.

6-7

1d6

35ft.

8

1d8

35ft.

9-11

1d8

40ft.

12-14

1d10

45ft.

15

1d10

55ft.

16-17

2d6

55ft.

18-20

2d6

60ft.

Unarmed Strike: A monk fighting unarmed gains the benefits of the Improved Unarmed Strike feat and thus does not provoke attacks of opportunity from armed opponents that she attacks.

Making an off-hand attack makes no sense for a monk striking unarmed.

A monk fighting with a one-handed weapon can make an unarmed strike as an off-hand attack, but she suffers the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting. Likewise, a monk with a weapon (other than a special monk weapon) in her off hand gets an extra attack with that weapon but suffers the usual penalties for two-weapon fighting and can't strike with a flurry of blows.

Flurry of Blows: The monk may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack, but this attack and each other attack made that round suffer a –2 penalty apiece. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. The monk must use the full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows. A monk may also use the flurry of blows if armed with a special monk weapon (kama, nunchaku, or siangham). If armed with one such weapon, the monk makes the extra attack either with that weapon or unarmed. If armed with two such weapons, she uses one for the regular attack (or attacks) and the other for the extra attack. In any case, her damage bonus on the attack with her off hand is not reduced.

Usually, a monk's unarmed strikes deal normal damage rather than subdual damage. However, she can choose to deal her damage as subdual damage when grappling.

Stunning Attack: The monk can use this ability once per round, but no more than once per level per day. The monk must declare she is using a stun attack before making the attack roll (thus, a missed attack roll ruins the attempt). A foe struck by the monk is forced to make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + one-half the monk's level + Wisdom modifier). In addition to receiving normal damage, If the saving throw fails, the opponent is stunned for 1 round. The stunning attack is a supernatural ability.

Evasion: If a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, the monk instead takes no damage. Evasion can only be used if the monk is wearing light armor or no armor. It is an extraordinary ability.

Deflect Arrows: At 2nd level, a monk gains the Deflect Arrows feat, even if she doesn't have the prerequisite Dexterity score.

Fast Movement: At 3rd level and higher, a monk moves faster than normal. A monk in armor (even light armor) or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed. A dwarf or a Small monk moves more slowly than a Medium-size monk.

From 9th level on, the monk's running ability is actually a supernatural ability.

Still Mind: At 3rd level, a monk gains a +2 bonus to saving throws against spells and effects from the Enchantment school.

Slow Fall: At 4th level, the monk takes damage as if a fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. At 18th level, the monk can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm.

Purity of Body: At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for magical diseases.

Improved Trip: At 6th level, a monk gains the Improved Trip feat. She need not have taken the Expertise feat, normally a prerequisite.

Wholeness of Body: At 7th level, a monk can cure her own wounds. She can cure up to twice her current level in hit points each day, and she can spread this healing out among several uses. Wholeness of body is a supernatural ability.

Leap of the Clouds: At 7th level or higher, a monk's jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is not limited according to her height.

Improved Evasion: At 9th level, a monk only takes half damage on a failed save.

Ki Strike: At 10th level, a monk's unarmed attack is empowered with ki. The unarmed strike damage from such an attack can deal damage to a creature with damage reduction as if the blow were made with a weapon with a +1 enhancement bonus. Ki strike is a supernatural ability.

Diamond Body: At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poison of all kinds. Diamond body is a supernatural ability.

Abundant Step: At 12th level, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as per the spell dimension door, once per day. This is a spell-like ability, and the monk's effective casting level is one-half her actual level (rounded down).

Quivering Palm: Starting at 15th level, a monk can use the quivering palm.

The monk can use the quivering palm attack once a week, and she must announce her intent before making her attack roll. Creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. The monk must be of higher level than the target (or have more levels than the target's number of Hit Dice). If the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter the monk can choose to try to slay the victim at any later time within 1 day per level of the monk. The monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + one-half the monk's level + Wisdom modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack (but may be affected by another one at a later time). Quivering palm is a supernatural ability.

Timeless Body: After achieving 17th level, a monk no longer suffers ability penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. (Any penalties she may have already suffered remain in place.) Bonuses still accrue, and the monk still dies of old age when her time is up.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon: A monk of 17th level or above can speak with any living creature.

Empty Body: At 19th level or higher, a monk can assume an ethereal state for 1 round per level per day, as per the spell etherealness. The monk may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day as long as the total number of rounds spent ethereal does not exceed her level. Empty body is a supernatural ability.

Perfect Self: At 20th level, a monk is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 20/+1.

Ex-Monks: A monk who becomes nonlawful cannot gain new levels as a monk but retain all monk abilities.